HB mother, child found dead in surf

I don't know this family, but it seems like some of you out there really don't care about this family's loss and just want to gossip. Gillian's three sisters were one of the first thoughts that came to my mind. My heart breaks for each one of them as they will no longer have the chance to grow up with their younger sister. I am especially sadened by the fact that Marcia's two older daughters no longer have a mother; depsite her faults and perceived craziness, no child deserves to lose their mother. I pray that one day all three girls will be able to find some closure and may continue living productive, healthy lives.

I hope the people out there can stop gossiping about this tradegy, because that's what all this is, just gossip. No one has all the facts, except for maybe the Dependency and Family Law Hearing Officers, and I sure hope they're not the ones spilling information onto these websites. The hearing officers were likely presented with information which led them to make the decisions they made on the days that the case was being heard in Court. No one could have foreseen this tradegy, because if they had, Gillian would not have remained in her mother's care. It's sad to think that all you people out there know what happened and are so quick to judge and make harsh comments about a father and mother, knowing that family and friends read these entries. The only thing you can all be certain of is that we will never know what actually happened to Gillian; she was caught in a messy messy custody battle where a lot of accusations were made and our system did it's best to find the truth. However, we do know that Marcia drowned Gillian and then killed herself and has left her two older daughters without a mother and took away their sister, which is a sad tradegy.

Too Many Clues wrote:

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... and many times (this time for sure) a mother uses her child for her own gain. How much worse can you hurt a man than to accuse him of molesting his own little girl? Most fathers tuck their tails between their legs and run away in the eyes of such horror. He did the right thing. He fought like a dog - and he won. What a hollow, sick victory. There was no winning against that psychotic woman. At least Gillian is at peace, no longer tortured by her own mother.

Well, You are right Gillian won't be tortured by anyone now. I as a parent am REQUIRED to believe my child. She believed Gillian.
The question becomes, if Marcia 'made this up', then why would she go to this extreme. If she made it up - then she would have known Gillian's dad wouldn't molest Gillian. Yes, she looks crazy now, but she always believed and loved her daughters.

All accusers say they didn't do it. Most times adults believe adults, not the child. Gillian was a special child, she didn't lie about anything ever. She saw red as red. She couldn't lie.

Yes Marcia looks crazy, I would love to hear from other mom's in the same situation!

Noticed - Friend of the Father didn't ever answer. Did you spend the night in their house with Glenn & Gillian? Did you go to pick up Gillian in the car w/ Glenn - when Gillian claimed he hurt her? Does your daughter NOT have fun in facilities like indoor playgrounds, because you "hurt" her? Does your daughter question why some daddy's are bad & some are good?

DiDN't think so! This is what Gillian was saying. NOT something she can make up!

Marcia should have run, she did freak out and make this massive mistake that cost a beautiful life. BUT, unless you live in the shoes of Gillian, you don't have real knowledge to defend anyone.

doesn't anyone find it interesting that marcia had a place to go, was on her way to protect her daughter, and then showed up dead - with her daughter also dead. it is nearly impossible to drown yourself. there was nothing tied to her - nothing to hold her under. how presumptious of you to assume that she killed gillian and herself without really researching all of the possibilities.

from wikipedia:
Suicide by drowning is the act of deliberately submerging oneself in water or other liquid and staying there long enough to prevent breathing and deprive the brain of oxygen. Due to the body's natural tendency to come up for air, one often ties a heavy object to oneself to circumvent this reflex and increase his or her chances of drowning. As with other deaths, if the drowning is stopped before death, oxygen deprivation can cause brain damage.

manhattan beach wrote:

Why is it so hard for people to believe children? Who are they to tell if they're being abused? Apparently this little girl told someone at school and then all these idiot court appointed counsellors decided to discount what the little girl said and decided it was all a lie. I can see how the mother thought the kid was better off dead than being sexually abused on a daily basis. If the mother was so crazy why are her older daughters alright and why do they witness to how much their mom suffered trying to keep her youngest daughter from going to live with the pedophile father. The law failed these two human beings miserably. So incredibly sad.

I'm 3.5 years late but needed to comment. You're absolutely right! The same thing happened to me and my children. A pedophile father with more money..ended up with custody. The aftermath is horrendous. My children are now 14 and 17, thankfully with me (their choice) but they are in therapy for years of sexual abuse from a mentally abusive terrorist. If we live through the aftermath it will be nothing short of a miracle. The family court system is a disaster and the children are paying the price.
Rest in Peace!